Dreamtown Finder: Top 25 places to live in Massachusetts

Everyone has a dream town: a place they long to live, a place they live already, or even a place they have yet to find.

The Boston Globe sought to match its readers with their dream towns with its Dreamtown Finder. The online tool asks users their priorities and then matches them with their ideal Massachusetts community based on a wide array of data.

Everyone has a different set of criteria, of course, but the factors we chose for the tool include the following: schools (SAT scores), fun (movie theaters, restaurants), hipster (number of colleges, Starbucks, hybrid cars, for example), location (crime, public transit, grocery stores), and housing costs (assessed values).

Rowe might have a tiny population of not nearly 400 people, but that means there’s a lot of open space to enjoy.

The town found in the northwest part of the state has a great student-to-teacher ratio and not a Starbucks in sight for those against corporate infiltration.

There’s the Kemp-McCarthy museum which holds local artifacts and antiques, as well as a history of the Yankee Atomic Electrical Company—the now-decommissioned first nuclear power plant in New England.
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Cheryl Senter for the Boston Globe

16. Newburyport

At a glance:Area: SuburbanRegion: MetroNorthPopulation: 17,416

Newburyport is a destination for good schools and safe streets.

Housing costs fall around the state average at a mean of about $438,000.

Newburyport isn’t the most fun or hipster place in Massachusetts, but it’s also about a 45-minute ride from Boston.
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WikiMedia Commons

15. Hadley

At a glance:Area: RuralRegion: Western Mass.Population: 5,250

Compared to other Western Massachusetts communities, Hadley is one boppin’ place.

Its got a fair amount of fun, including two malls, and a hipster edge (lots of hybrid cars.)

In addition to the fun factor, Hadley has above average schools, low housing costs and a respectable location score.
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Bill Polo/Globe Staff/File 2006

14. Framingham

At a glance:Area: SuburbanRegion: MetroWestPopulation: 68,318

Framingham, a suburb of Boston and a business hub, has a strong location score, above average schools and decent housing costs.

Move there for the location points, and stay because the city has a hipster edge.

Framingham’s downside? There’s not a ton of fun in the city limits. Nearby Natick, however, offers a wide array of restaurants, bars, and movie theaters.
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WikiMedia Commons

13. Northampton

At a glance:Area: SuburbanRegion: Western Mass.Population: 28,549

Northampton is the home of Smith College and a fair number of hipsters.

Housing costs are low, schools perform admirably, and a great amount open space is protected.

What it lacks are a low crime rate and a proportionally high number of restaurants.
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The Boston Globe/File

12. Somerville

At a glance:Area: UrbanRegion: MetroNorthPopulation: 75,754

Somerville is a truly well-rounded community, according to our calculations.

It has a good fun score, a solid location score and surprisingly average housing costs for an urban community.